catkin

cat·kin  (ktkn)

n.

A usually dense, cylindrical, often drooping cluster of unisexual apetalous flowers found in willows, birches, and oaks. Also called ament¹.

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[From obsolete Dutch katteken, kitten, diminutive of katte, cat (from its resemblance to a kitten's tail), from Germanic *kattuz.]

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catkin

Noun

a drooping flower spike found on trees such as the birch, hazel, and willow [obsolete Dutch katteken kitten]

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catkin  (ktkn)

A long, thin, indeterminate inflorescence of tiny, petalless flowers growing on willows, birches, oaks, poplars, and certain other trees. The flowers on a catkin are either all male or all female. The female flowers are usually pollinated by the wind. Also called ament. See illustration at inflorescence.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

catkin - a cylindrical spikelike inflorescence ament inflorescence - the flowering part of a plant or arrangement of flowers on a stalk